Celebrating Houston’s Founding Modernists: Featuring David Adickes, Henri Gadbois & Leila McConnell

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To inaugurate it’s 12th Year Anniversary Season, William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art is pleased to present, Celebrating Houston’s Founding Modernists: Featuring David Adickes, Henri Gadbois & Leila McConnell, consisting of three solo exhibitions and a display of assorted works by their mid-century peers. As the gallery’s season opener, this exhibition offers viewers a delightful segue into yet another highly-anticipated season of art from the Lone Star state.

In 2013, Houston’s mayor issued a proclamation recognizing the importance of Houston’s Founding Artists and the impact of their contributions to the city’s vital and ever-growing visual arts scene. The following year in 2014, works by these earlier Houston painters decorated the walls of City Hall in what was an unprecedented exhibition. This exhibit acknowledged the Bayou City’s rich arts legacy and recognized local artists who have made life-time contributions to the growth of the Houston arts scene.

The Reaves | Foltz mission is dedicated to the continued promotion and exhibition of the artists who advanced the visual arts of Texas, and particularly the arts of our own city. Beginning in 2017, Reaves | Foltz plans to launch this and future exhibition seasons every August with programming dedicated specifically to honor Houston’s Founding Modernist Artists. With the official “birth date” for the City of Houston being August 30th, we thought of no better way than to annually honor these artists and celebrate their enduring legacy in the city.

In further support of Houston's dynamic growth in the visual arts, Houston's Mayors Office issued a new proclamation naming August 19, 2017 as Houston Founding Modermists Day honoring those pioneering mid-century painters, including David Adickes, Gertrude Barnstone, Jack Boynton, Bill Condon, Henri Gadbois, Dorothy Hood, Harvey Johnson, Leila McConnell, Herb Mears, Richard Stout, Stella Sullivan, and Dick Wray.

Celebrating Houston’s Founding Modernists: Featuring David Adickes, Henri Gadbois & Leila McConnell, consists of three solo exhibitions, offering a tribute to these three celebrated Houston greats. The artists have been pillars of the Bayou City arts scene starting in the 1950s, and have been actively engaged in creative production for decades since.

David Adickes: In the Beginning features an exquisite selection of the early paintings that brought him his first notoriety. These early works represent the artist’s original views and formative renditions of his most favored subjects and themes. With their distinctive style and superb workmanship, Adickes’ paintings were incredibly fresh and novel when he first introduced them to Houston in the early 1950s.

Henri Gadbois: Texas Woodlands features works inspired by woodland landscapes throughout Texas that Gadbois created over the past fifty years.

This grouping distinctly demonstrates his evolving aesthetic from abstraction to more representational renderings of the land throughout his career. Color, light, and pattern are all at the core of these sensitive works.

Leila McConnell: The Search focuses on her ethereal “sky paintings” and intimate collages which transcend time and place. In her distinct style, McConnell creates evocative compositions using light, color, and atmosphere along with repeated tropes, such as a sphere, bar, sun, or moon, to explore inner and outer worlds through an almost metaphysical, life-long search captured in paint.

In addition to the one-person shows above, serving as a counterpart, the gallery will also display a selection of period works by their mid-century peers, including stalwarts of Houston’s former Dubose Gallery in the 1960s: Lamar Briggs, Bill Condon, Frank Freed, Herb Mears, Stella Sullivan, and Patricia Waldrip-Taylor.

- Sarah Foltz, Executive Director

No.

Artist

Title of Work

Date

Medium

Size (inches)

IN THE BEGINNING

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes David Adickes

Antibes Musicians 1959 oil on board 21.5x15 Antibes with Buildings c. 1960 oil on board 7x5 Artist with Easel c. 1960s oil on board 20x16 Blue Trees 1969 oil on board 12x9 Blue Trees, White Leaves c. 1970s oil on canvas 12x16 Boat in Bay c. 1960 oil on board 8x10 Bottle Still Life c. 1960 oil on board 5.25x6.25 Des Hommes 1950 lithograph 11.5x14.5 Des Hommes 1966 lithograph 14.75x20 Deux Harlequins c. 1955 oil on canvas 36x20 Five Vingettes c. 1950s watercolor and ink 17x21 Flowing Scarf 1969 bronze 25.5x10 Green and Gold c. 1965 oil on board 10x12 Horse 1 2012 bronze 13.5x10x7 Ink Drawing (Still Life) 1954 gouache 4.5x5.25 Leafless Tree c. 1960s/70s oil on board 12x16 Mountain Trees 1956 oil on board 8x10 Mustangs 1970 bronze 21x10x12 Napoleon in a Storm 1964 oil on canvas board 48x58.5 Poplar Tree 1960s oil on board 8x6 Red Antibes c. 1960s oil on canvas 27.5x20.5 Risque-Tout 1953 oil on board 23.5x29.5 Rome c. 1965 oil on canvas 47x53 Small Bare Trees with Rider 1956 oil on board 8x10 Spring Trees 1969 oil on board 12x8 Still Life for Ann Holmes 1957 pen, ink and oil on canvas 24x16 Still Life with Bottle and Coffee Pot c. 1970 oil on masonite 19.5x13 Still Life with Lemon c. 1970s oil on canvas 8x10 Still Life with Three Pears and Three Plums c. 1970s oil on canvas 9x12 Still Life with Two Bottles, Melon and Egg 1960 oil on board 21x16 Storm Over Olive Grove c. 1960s oil on masonite 5.75x9.75 Sunflower c. 1960 oil on canvas 40x23 The Blue Bottle c. 1965 oil on board 20x10 Three Men Against Blue 1956 oil on board 18x14.5 Three Red Men 1964 oil on canvas 30x24 Untitled (Tall Men in Striped Tunics) c. 1965 oil on board 28.5x15.5

TEXAS WOODLANDS 37 38 39

Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois

A Willow View 2015 acrylic on paper 8x10 Ann's Trees 2009 oil on canvas 9x12 Bayou Willows 1967 oil on canvas 36x48

No.

Artist

40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62

Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois

Title of Work

Date

Medium

Size (inches)

Brick Path 1979 acrylic on canvas 8x10 By the Road 2016 acrylic on paper 5x7 Golden Blanket 2016 acrylic on paper 8x10 Golden Maple 2013 acrylic on paper 8x10 Kingwood Forrest 2017 acrylic on paper 8x10 Large Trees 1966 oil on canvas 31.25x23.25 Low Sun 1963 oil on canvas 24x30 Misty Morn 2016 acrylic on paper 14x11 Moonlight, May 23 1967 acrylic on canvas 10x8 Nimbus Moon Piece 1973 oil on canvas 30x25 On the Road to Dee's 2017 acrylic on paper 8x10 Pale Trees 1965 oil on canvas 34x30 Peeking Sunshine 1968 oil on canvas 30x40 Reflections 1974 acrylic on canvas 36x36 Spring 1958 oil on canvas 29x42 Sunlight on the Trees 2017 acrylic on paper 8x10 Texas Maple 2014 acrylic on paper 8x10 Texas Maple 2011 oil on canvas 24x18 The Red Brick Path 1967 oil on canvas 13.5x17.75 Through the Trees 2017 acrylic on paper 5x7 Toward the Point 2017 acrylic on paper 8x10 Trees 1967 oil on board 7x5 Twilight Mist 1967 oil on canvas 8x10

THE SEARCH 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell

Blue Bird 1973 oil on canvas 11x11 Calm Day 2012 oil on canvas 35.5x45.5 Dark Landscape 2017 paper collage 9.5x7.5 Delicate Day c. 1980 oil on canvas 48x36 Green Scape with White Ring 1980 oil on canvas 48x36 Green Sky, White Bar 1979 oil on masonite 6.25x9 Green Sun and Gold Ring 1974 oil on canvas 48x36 Japanese Sky 1978 oil on canvas 10x8 Mood 2015 oil on canvas 40x30 Mysterious Ball 1980 oil on canvas 36x48 New Planet Above the Rainbow 1968 oil on canvas 26.5x22 On the Window Sill 2015 collage 7.5x5.5 Poles of the Mountain 1979 oil on canvas 48x36 Something in the Future 2008 collage 9.5x7.5 Strange Night 2008 paper collage 10x8 Study for Delicate Day c. 1980 oil on canvas 12x10 Sun and Moon 1967 oil on canvas 16x12 The Black Band 2015 oil on canvas 48x36

No.

Artist

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90

Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell Leila McConnell

Title of Work

Date

Medium

Size (inches)

The Free 1973 oil on masonite 10x5 The Green Vase 2016 collage 7.5x5.5 The Sign 1975 oil on canvas 50x30 Totem 1971 oil on canvas 48x18 Untitled 2015 oil on canvas 30x25 Untitled 1986 oil on canvas 48x36 Untitled (Browns) 1986 oil on canvas 10x8 Untitled (Pink & Orange) 1986 oil on canvas 10x8 Untitled ( Yellow, Orange and Black) 2015 oil on canvas 48x36 Yellow Day 1979 oil on canvas 48x36

FELLOW FOUNDERS 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114

Lamar Briggs Lamar Briggs Bill Condon Bill Condon Bill Condon Bill Condon Frank Freed Frank Freed Frank Freed Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Henri Gadbois Herb Mears Herb Mears Herb Mears Herb Mears Herb Mears Herb Mears Herb Mears Stella Sullivan Stella Sullivan Patricia Waldrip-Taylor

Scarlet Macaw pastel on paper 19.5x18 Woman with Umbrella c. 1960 oil on canvas 6x4 Downtown Houston Scene 1969 mixed media 50x40 Janitzio 1961 mixed media on wood 40x18 Lemons 1967 encaustic on board 12x9 Sea Wolf, Texas 1958 watercolor 16x22.5 Art Auction c. 1960 watercolor and mixed media on paper 13.75x9.75 Circus in Spring c. 1960 acrylic on canvas 20x24 Italian Restaurant 1956 acrylic on canvas 16x20 Clear Lake 1959 oil on canvas 18x30 Hauptmarkt - NĂźrnberg 1957 oil on canvas 24x48 Prophet on a Short Ladder 1963 oil on canvas 48x36 Seascape 1967 oil on board 6x6 Tree Forms 1957 oil on canvas 34x24 Bird in Cage c. 1967 acrylic on board 10.75x13.5 Cathedral with Gatherers c. 1975 oil on canvas 36x30 City Cafe c. 1965 oil on board 24x28 Fisherman 1966 oil on board 18x15 Mexican Cathedral c. 1970 oil on board 23x36 Two Men Dancing c. 1965 oil on board 12.5x13.5 Untitled (Blue Vase) c. 1965 oil on board 11.5x9.75 Symbols 1953 serigraph 6.5x7.25 The Table in the Library 1955 drypoint etching on paper 8.5x11 Cyclists c. 1968 oil on canvas 50x60

IN THE BEGINNING D av i d A d i c k e s

1. David Adickes, Antibes Musicians, 1959, oil on board, 21.5x15 inches.

2. David Adickes, Antibes with Buildings, c. 1960, oil on board, 7x5 inches.

3. David Adickes, Artist with Easel, c. 1960s, oil on board, 20x16 inches.

4. David Adickes, Blue Trees, 1969, oil on board, 12x9 inches.

5. David Adickes, Blue Trees, White Leaves, c. 1970s, oil on canvas, 12x16 inches.

6. David Adickes, Boat in Bay, c. 1960, oil on board, 8x10 inches.

7. David Adickes, Bottle Still Life, c. 1960, oil on board, 5.25x6.25 inches.

8. David Adickes, Des Hommes, 1950, lithograph, 11.5x14.5 inches.

9. David Adickes, Des Hommes, 1966, lithograph, 14.75x20 inches.

10. David Adickes, Deux Harlequins, c. 1955, oil on canvas, 36x20 inches.

11. David Adickes, Five Vingettes, c. 1950s, watercolor and ink, 17x21 inches.

12. David Adickes, Flowing Scarf, 1969, bronze, 25.5x10 inches.

13. David Adickes, Green and Gold, c. 1965, oil on board, 10x12 inches.

14. David Adickes, Horse 1, 2012, bronze, 13.5x10x7 inches.

15. David Adickes, Ink Drawing (Still Life), 1954, gouache, 4.5x5.25 inches.

16. David Adickes, Leafless Tree, c. 1960s/70s, oil on board, 12x16 inches.

17. David Adickes, Mountain Trees, 1956, oil on board, 8x10 inches.

18. David Adickes, Mustangs, 1970, bronze, 21x10x12 inches.

19. David Adickes, Napoleon in a Storm, 1964, oil on canvas board, 48x58.5 inches.

20. David Adickes, Poplar Tree, 1960s, oil on board, 8x6 inches.

21. David Adickes, Red Antibes, c. 1960s, oil on canvas, 27.5x20.5 inches.

22. David Adickes, Risque-Tout, 1953, oil on board, 23.5x29.5 inches.

23. David Adickes, Rome, c. 1965, oil on canvas, 47x53 inches.

24. David Adickes, Small Bare Trees with Rider, 1956, oil on board, 8x10 inches.

25. David Adickes, Spring Trees, 1969, oil on board, 12x8 inches.

26. David Adickes, Still Life for Ann Holmes, 1957, pen, ink and oil on canvas, 24x16 inches.

27. David Adickes, Still Life with Bottle and Coffee Pot, c. 1970, oil on masonite, 19.5x13 inches.

28. David Adickes, Still Life with Lemon, c. 1970s, oil on canvas, 8x10 inches.

29. David Adickes, Still Life with Three Pears and Three Plums, c. 1970s, oil on canvas, 9x12 inches.

30. David Adickes, Still Life with Two Bottles, Melon and Egg, 1960, oil on board, 21x16 inches.

31. David Adickes, Storm Over Olive Grove, c. 1960s, oil on masonite, 5.75x9.75 inches.

32. David Adickes, Sunflower, c. 1960, oil on canvas, 40x23 inches.

33. David Adickes, The Blue Bottle, c. 1965, oil on board, 20x10 inches.

34. David Adickes, Three Men Against Blue, 1956, oil on board, 18x14.5 inches.

35. David Adickes, Three Red Men, 1964, oil on canvas, 30x24 inches.

36. David Adickes, Untitled (Tall Men in Striped Tunics), c. 1965, oil on board, 28.5x15.5 inches.

TEXAS WOODLANDS Henri Gadbois

37. Henri Gadbois, A Willow View, 2015, acrylic on paper, 8x10 inches.

38. Henri Gadbois, Ann's Trees, 2009, oil on canvas, 9x12 inches.

39. Henri Gadbois, Bayou Willows, 1967, oil on canvas, 36x48 inches.

40. Henri Gadbois, Brick Path, 1979, acrylic on canvas, 8x10 inches.

41. Henri Gadbois, By the Road, 2016, acrylic on paper, 5x7 inches.

42. Henri Gadbois, Golden Blanket, 2016, acrylic on paper, 8x10 inches.

43. Henri Gadbois, Golden Maple, 2013, acrylic on paper, 8x10 inches.

44. Henri Gadbois, Kingwood Forrest, 2017, acrylic on paper, 8x10 inches.

45. Henri Gadbois, Large Trees, 1966, oil on canvas, 31.25x23.25 inches.

46. Henri Gadbois, Low Sun, 1963, oil on canvas, 24x30 inches.

47. Henri Gadbois, Misty Morn, 2016, acrylic on paper, 14x11 inches.

48. Henri Gadbois, Moonlight, May 23, 1967, acrylic on canvas, 10x8 inches.

49. Henri Gadbois, Nimbus Moon Piece, 1973, oil on canvas, 30x25 inches.

50. Henri Gadbois, On the Road to Dee's, 2017, acrylic on paper, 8x10 inches.

51. Henri Gadbois, Pale Trees, 1965, oil on canvas, 34x30 inches.

52. Henri Gadbois, Peeking Sunshine, 1968, oil on canvas, 30x40 inches.

53. Henri Gadbois, Reflections, 1974, acrylic on canvas, 36x36 inches.

54. Henri Gadbois, Spring, 1958, oil on canvas, 29x42 inches.

55. Henri Gadbois, Sunlight on the Trees, 2017, acrylic on paper, 8x10 inches.

56. Henri Gadbois, Texas Maple, 2014, acrylic on paper, 8x10 inches.

57. Henri Gadbois, Texas Maple, 2011, oil on canvas, 24x18 inches.

58. Henri Gadbois, The Red Brick Path, 1967, oil on canvas, 13.5x17.75 inches.

59. Henri Gadbois, Through the Trees, 2017, acrylic on paper, 5x7 inches.

60. Henri Gadbois, Toward the Point, 2017, acrylic on paper, 8x10 inches.

61. Henri Gadbois, Trees, 1967, oil on board, 7x5 inches.

62. Henri Gadbois, Twilight Mist, 1967, oil on canvas, 8x10 inches.

THE SEARCH Leila McConnell

63. Leila McConnell, Blue Bird, 1973, oil on canvas, 11x11 inches.

64. Leila McConnell, Calm Day, 2012, oil on canvas, 35.5x45.5 inches.

65. Leila McConnell, Dark Landscape, 2017, paper collage, 9.5x7.5 inches.

66. Leila McConnell, Delicate Day, c. 1980, oil on canvas, 48x36 inches.

67. Leila McConnell, Green Scape with White Ring, 1980, oil on canvas, 48x36 inches.

68. Leila McConnell, Green Sky, White Bar, 1979, oil on masonite, 6.25x9 inches.

69. Leila McConnell, Green Sun and Gold Ring, 1974, oil on canvas, 48x36 inches.

70. Leila McConnell, Japanese Sky, 1978, oil on canvas, 10x8 inches.

71. Leila McConnell, Mood, 2015, oil on canvas, 40x30 inches.

72. Leila McConnell, Mysterious Ball, 1980, oil on canvas, 36x48 inches.

73. Leila McConnell, New Planet Above the Rainbow, 1968, oil on canvas, 26.5x22 inches.

74. Leila McConnell, On the Window Sill, 2015, collage, 7.5x5.5 inches.

75. Leila McConnell, Poles of the Mountain, 1979, oil on canvas, 48x36 inches.

76. Leila McConnell, Something in the Future, 2008, collage, 9.5x7.5 inches.

77. Leila McConnell, Strange Night, 2008, paper collage, 10x8 inches.

78. Leila McConnell, Study for Delicate Day, c. 1980, oil on canvas, 12x10 inches.

79. Leila McConnell, Sun and Moon, 1967, oil on canvas, 16x12 inches.

80. Leila McConnell, The Black Band, 2015, oil on canvas, 48x36 inches.

81. Leila McConnell, The Free, 1973, oil on masonite, 10x5 inches.

82. Leila McConnell, The Green Vase, 2016, collage, 7.5x5.5 inches.

83. Leila McConnell, The Sign, 1975, oil on canvas, 50x30 inches.

84. Leila McConnell, Totem, 1971, oil on canvas, 48x18 inches.

85. Leila McConnell, Untitled, 2015, oil on canvas, 30x25 inches.

86. Leila McConnell, Untitled, 1986, oil on canvas, 48x36 inches.

87. Leila McConnell, Untitled (Browns), 1986, oil on canvas, 10x8 inches.

88. Leila McConnell, Untitled (Pink & Orange), 1986, oil on canvas, 10x8 inches.

89. Leila McConnell, Untitled ( Yellow, Orange and Black), 2015, oil on canvas, 48x36 inches.

90. Leila McConnell, Yellow Day, 1979, oil on canvas, 48x36 inches.

FELLOW FOUNDERS B r i g g s , C o n d o n , F r e e d, M e a r s , S u l l i va n , Wa l d r i p -Tay l o r

91. Lamar Briggs, Scarlet Macaw, pastel on paper, 19.5x18 inches.

92. Lamar Briggs, Woman with Umbrella, c. 1960, oil on canvas, 6x4 inches.

93. Bill Condon, Downtown Houston Scene, 1969, mixed media, 50x40 inches.

94. Bill Condon, Janitzio, 1961, mixed media on wood, 40x18 inches.

95. Bill Condon, Lemons, 1967, encaustic on board, 12x9 inches.

96. Bill Condon, Sea Wolf, Texas, 1958, watercolor, 16x22.5 inches.

97. Frank Freed, Art Auction, c. 1960, watercolor and mixed media on paper, 13.75x9.75 inches.

98. Frank Freed, Circus in Spring, c. 1960, acrylic on canvas, 20x24 inches.

99. Frank Freed, Italian Restaurant, 1956, acrylic on canvas, 16x20 inches.

100. Henri Gadbois, Clear Lake, 1959, oil on canvas, 18x30 inches.

101. Henri Gadbois, Hauptmarkt - Nürnberg, 1957, oil on canvas, 24x48 inches.

102. Henri Gadbois, Prophet on a Short Ladder, 1963, oil on canvas, 48x36 inches.

103. Henri Gadbois, Seascape, 1967, oil on board, 6x6 inches.

104. Henri Gadbois, Tree Forms, 1957, oil on canvas, 34x24 inches.

105. Herb Mears, Bird in Cage, c. 1967, acrylic on board, 10.75x13.5 inches.

106. Herb Mears, Cathedral with Gatherers, c. 1975, oil on canvas, 36x30 inches.

107. Herb Mears, City Cafe, c. 1965, oil on board, 24x28 inches.

108. Herb Mears, Fisherman, 1966, oil on board, 18x15 inches.

109. Herb Mears, Mexican Cathedral, c. 1970, oil on board, 23x36 inches.

110. Herb Mears, Two Men Dancing, c. 1965, oil on board, 12.5x13.5 inches.

111. Herb Mears, Untitled (Blue Vase), c. 1965, oil on board, 11.5x9.75 inches.

112. Stella Sullivan, Symbols, 1953, serigraph, 6.5x7.25 inches.

113. Stella Sullivan, The Table in the Library, 1955, drypoint etching on paper, 8.5x11 inches.

114. Patricia Waldrip-Taylor, Cyclists, c. 1968, oil on canvas, 50x60 inches.

DAVID PRYOR ADICKES (b. 1927) Born in Huntsville, Texas, David Adickes earned his undergraduate degree in physics and mathematics from Sam Houston State College (now University). The summer after graduation, he attended the Kansas City Art Institute and realized that art was what he really wanted to do. Adickes used his G.I. Bill to study painting in Paris with modern master, Fernand Leger. He returned to Houston and began painting full-time.

In 1983, he was commissioned to make his first monumental sculpture, Virtuoso, which now resides at the Lyric Center in downtown Houston. Adickes also created the 76-foot tall figure of Sam Houston that stands on Interstate 45 just south of Huntsville.

Selected Biographical and Career Highlights

• 1927 Born in Huntsville, Texas • 1945–46 U. S. Air Force • 1948 BS Physics/Mathematics, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas • 1948 Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, Kansas • 1948–50 Atelier Fernand Léger, Paris, France • 1954–55 Instructor, University of Texas at Austin at Austin • 1957–58 Around-the-world-tour, one year in Japan with solo shows in Tokyo and Osaka • Resides in Houston, Texas Selected Prizes, Awards •

Houston Annual: Purchase Prize 1953, 1955 (March), 1955 (December); Cash Prize 1954; Honorable Mention 1953 • • •

1953 Purchase Prize, Beach Scene, casein and Honorable Mention, Fishermen on Beach, pastel 1954 Cash Prize, Three Figures Before a Black Boat, casein 1955 (March) Purchase Prize, Spanish Interior, oil 1955 (December) Purchase Prize, In Attendance, casein

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1951 Cash Prize and Recommended for Purchase Prize, Harlequins, gouache (2 figures) 1954 Cash Prize, Risque-Tout, oil

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1952 Purchase Prize, Composition, watercolor and Cash Prize, Still Life with Coffee Urn, watercolor 1953 Purchase Prize, 7 of the Species, watercolor and Materials Prize, View of the Village, watercolor

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Texas General/Annual: Recommended for Purchase Prize 1951; Cash Prize 1951, 1954 Texas Watercolor Society: Purchase Prize 1952, 1953; Cash Prize 1952; Materials Prize 1953 •

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Texas Fine Arts Association: Purchase Prize 1953 (spring), 1953 (fall); First Prize 1956 •

1953 (Spr Festival) Purchase Prize, Harlequins, ____ (3 figures)

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1953 (Fall Annual) Purchase Prize, Three by the Sea, casein 1956 First Prize, Harlequin With Banjo, oil

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1956-57 Purchase Prize, Two Men on a Beach, lithograph

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1956 Merit Award, The Poets, _____

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Southwestern Prints and Drawings: Purchase Prize 1956

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D. D. Feldman: Merit Award 1956

Selected Exhibitions • 1951 Houston Art League Fair, (rented booth with Herb Mears), Shamrock Hilton, Houston, Texas • 1951 26th Annual Exhibition of Works by Houston Artists, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas • 1951 Paintings and Drawings by David Adickes, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas • 1951 13th Annual Exhibition of Texas Painting and Sculpture, circulated: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Witte Museum, San Antonio, Texas (same entry: cash prize and recommended for purchase prize) • 1952 Texas Watercolor Society 3rd Annual Exhibition, Witte Museum, San Antonio, Texas; Museum of Fine Art, Houston, Texas (2 entries: purchase prize and cash prize) • 1952 5th Southwestern Exhibition of Prints and Drawings, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas • 195? Solo, Louisiana Arts Commission, Baton Rouge, Louisiana • 195? Solo, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas • 1953 Texas Watercolor Society 4th Annual Exhibition, Witte Museum, San Antonio, Texas, selection circulated: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas A&M University, College Station; Texas A&I University, Kingsville; Centennial Museum, Corpus Christi, Texas (2 entries: purchase prize and materials prize) • 1953 Texas Fine Arts Festival, Coliseum, Austin, Texas (purchase prize) • 1953 Texas Fine Arts Association Annual Exhibition, Laguna Gloria Museum, Austin, Texas (purchase prize) • 1953 28th Annual Exhibition of Works by Houston Artists, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (2 entries: purchase prize and honorable mention) • 1953–62 Solos and Group, James Bute Gallery, Houston, Texas • 1954 29th Annual Exhibition of Works by Houston Artists, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (cash prize) • 1954 16th Annual Exhibition of Texas Painting and Sculpture 1954, circulated: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Witte Museum, San Antonio; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Fort Worth Art Center, Fort Worth, Texas (cash prize) • 1955 (March) 30th Annual Exhibition of Works by Houston Artists, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (purchase prize) • 1955 (December) 31st Annual Exhibition of Houston Artists, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (purchase prize) • 1955 17th Annual Exhibition of Texas Painting and Sculpture 1955–1956,

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circulated: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Fort Worth Art Center, Fort Worth; Witte Museum, San Antonio; Texas Fine Arts Association, Austin 1955–56 D. D. Feldman Collection of Contemporary Texas Art: An Exhibit of 100 Paintings, traveled; 1956 Feb at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (Bicycle and Boat) catalogue 1956–57 D. D. Feldman Collection of Contemporary Texas Art: 1956 Invitational Exhibition, traveled; 1956 Dec–1957 Jan at McNay Art Institute, San Antonio, Texas (The Poets, merit award) checklist 1958 D. D. Feldman Competitive Award Exhibit: The Contemporary Work of 88 Texas Artists, traveled; 1958 Jul–Aug at McNay Museum, San Antonio, Texas (The Flute) checklist 1959 D. D. Feldman Competitive Award Exhibit: The Contemporary Work of 82 Texas Artists, traveled (Two Figures with Still Life) checklist 1956 Gulf-Caribbean Art Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, traveled to: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; MunsonWilliams-Proctor Institute, Utica; Carnegie Institute, Pittsburg; Colorado Springs Fine Art Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado (catalogue) 1956 Annual Spring Show, Texas Fine Arts Association, Austin, Texas (first prize) 1956? Western Artists 62nd Annual, Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado 1956 6th Southwestern Exhibition of Prints and Drawings, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas, traveled to: Centenary College, Shreveport, Louisiana; Elisabet Ney Museum, Austin, Texas; University of New Mexico, Albuquerque; Texas Tech College Museum, Lubbock; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas; University of Tulsa, Oklahoma; Oklahoma A&M College, Stillwater, Oklahoma (purchase prize) 1957 7th Southwestern Exhibition of Prints and Drawings, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas 1957 Survey of Painting in Texas, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas, circulated

by American Federation of Arts (catalogue) 1957 Solo, Witte Museum of Art, San Antonio, Texas 1957 Recent Contemporary Acquisitions—Houston, Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Texas (catalogue) 1957 David Pryor Adickes, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas 1957 Solo, Laguna Gloria Gallery, Austin, Texas 1957 32nd Annual Houston Artists Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas 1958 Solo, Formes Gallery, Tokyo and Osaka, Japan 1959 60 Prints by 60 Artists from Local Collections: Post-War Prints 1946–1959, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas 1959 34th Annual Houston Artists Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas 1959 Made in Texas by Texans, Dallas Museum of Contemporary Art, SheratonDallas Hotel, Dallas, Texas (catalogue) 1959 Solo, Janet Nessler Gallery, New York, New York 1959 21st Annual Texas Painting and Sculpture Exhibition 19591960, circulated:

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Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Witte Museum, San Antonio; Beaumont Art Museum, Beaumont; Museum, Texas Tech, Lubbock; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston 1961 Solo, Galerie de la Vieille Échoppe, St. Paul-de-Vence 1961–62 Solo, Haydon Calhoun Gallery, Dallas, Texas 1962 Solo, Fifth Ave. Gallery, Fort Worth, Texas 1962 24th Annual Texas Painting and Sculpture Exhibition 1962−1963, circulated: Witte Museum, San Antonio; Centennial Art Museum, Corpus Christi; Beaumont Art Museum, Beaumont; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas 1962 Solo, Stewart-Ricard Gallery, San Antonio, Texas 1963 34th Annual Dallas County Exhibition: Painting, Drawing, Sculpture, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas 1963 25th Annual Texas Painting and Sculpture Exhibition 1963−1964, circulated: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Centennial Art Museum, Corpus Christi; Beaumont Art Museum, Beaumont; El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso; Witte Museum, San Antonio; University of Texas at Austin 1963 University of Texas Art Faculty—Past and Present, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas 1968 10th Annual Invitational Exhibit, Nicholson Memorial Library, Junior Service League of Longview, Texas 1963– Solos and Group, DuBose Gallery, Houston, Texas 1970–Solos and Group, Wally Findlay Galleries, Palm Beach, Florida 1971–72 Texas Painting and Sculpture: The 20th Century, Pollack Galleries, Owen Arts Center, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, traveled to: Witte Confluence Museum, HemisFair Plaza, San Antonio; University Art Museum, University of Texas at Austin; Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth; The Museum, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas (catalogue) 1973 The Michener Collection: American Paintings from the Twentieth Century, inaugural exhibition, Michener Galleries, University of Texas at Austin, Texas 1975 Evolution in Figurative Art, Selections from the Michener Collection, University of Texas at Austin, Texas 2004 A Selection of Art Made in Houston 1950−1965, Brazos Projects, Brazos Bookstore, Houston, Texas 2006 Houston Art in Houston Collections: Works from 1900 to 1965, Heritage Society Museum, Houston, Texas 2008 Founders of Houston Art: Thirty Artists Who Led the Way, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2009 Back to the Future: Elements of “Modern” in Mid-Century Texas Art, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2009 Adickes…Early: Fifty Paintings from the Formative Period, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas (catalogue) 2009 A Texas Sampler: Vintage Paintings by Thirty Texas Artists, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2009 Texas Paper: Watercolors, Pastels and Drawings from the Lone Star State,

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1938−2008, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2010 Third Anniversary Show: A Tribute to Houston Artists, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2011 His World of Color: David Adickes, Nave Museum, Victoria Texas 2011 Lone Star Modernism: A Celebration of Mid-Century Texas Art, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2011 Portrait of Houston: 1900–2011, Alliance Gallery, Houston Arts Alliance, Houston, Texas (catalogue) 2012 A Survey of Texas Modernists, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2013 Rhythms of Modernism, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2013 Summer Encore Exhibition, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2014 Houston Founders at City Hall Art Exhibition, City Hall, Houston, Texas 2014 An New Visual Vocabulary: Developments in Texas Modernism 1935−1965, One Allen Center, Lobby Gallery, Houston, Texas • 2014 Lone Star Masters of Modernism, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas • 2015 Bayou City Chic: Progressive Streams of Modern Art in Houston, Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, Texas (catalogue) • 2015 Midcentury Montage: Works by Three Houston Modernists, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas • 2016 This WAS Contemporary Art: Fine and Decorative Arts in Houston 1945−1965, Heritage Society Museum, Houston, Texas (catalogue)

Selected Public Commissions • 1983 Virtuoso, Lyric Center, Houston, Texas • 1994 Sam Houston, Huntsville, Texas • 1996 • 2003 • 2004 Selected Public Collections

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Blanton Museum of Art, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas Fort Worth Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas James A. Michener Art Foundation, Doleystown, Pennsylvania Longview Art Association, Longview, Texas Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Witte Museum of Art, San Antonio, Texas

Selected Sources

Adickes: A Monograph, compiled for the James Bute Company’s River Oaks Gallery by Ben J. DuBose, 1957. Houston: James Bute Company, 1981.

Edwards, Katie Robinson. Midcentury Modern Art in Texas. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2014.

Reynolds, Sarah C. Houston Reflections: Art in the City, 1950s, 60s, and 70s.

Houston: Rice University Press, 2008. http://cnx.org/content/col10526/ latest.

The James A. Michener Collection: Twentieth Century American Painting. Preface

by Earl A. Powell, III. Austin: University of Texas at Austin, 1977.

Artist: http://www.adickes.net/Bio Dallas Museum of Art. Portal to Texas History: http://texashistory.unt.edu/ explore/partners/DMA/browse.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Exhibition history online: http://prv.mfah. org/archives/search.asp?par1=1&par2=1&par3=1&par4=1&par5=1&par 6=1&par7.MARY BAXTER (b. 1963)

HENRI GADBOIS (b. 1930) Born in Houston, Texas to a father working as a commercial artist for Madison Southwest, Henri Gadbois was exposed to art all his life. His father was vehemently opposed to abstract art and, although arguments regarding the subject matter were frequent, Gadbois was greatly influenced by his father. Gadbois was also strongly influenced by Noma Henderson, his high school art teacher. She introduced Gadbois to ceramics, leading to his first exhibition which featured a small bowl he created while still in high school.

Gadbois graduated from Lamar High School and earned his bachelor of fine arts and master of letters from the University of Houston in 1952 and 1953, respectively.

Gadbois studied under Texas greats Robert Preusser and Lowell Collins, stating that his time at the University of Houston was one of great change. During his U.S. military service in Germany, he had studio space at the University of Georgia in Furth which allowed him to continue to paint.

Shortly before retiring from public school teaching, Gadbois began making faux food for the Yuletide Celebration at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens. In 1995, he started Faux Foods, a company that makes earthenware foods in the 18th and 19th Century manner for museums.

Selected Biographical and Career Highlights • 1930 Born in Houston, Texas • 1952 BFA, University of Houston, Houston, Texas • 1952 Instructor, Museum School, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas • 1953 Master of Letters, University of Houston, Houston, Texas • 1953 Registrar, Business Manager, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas • 1954−55 Served in U.S. Army • 1956 Married artist, Leila McConnell • 195690 Teacher, Houston Independent School District, Houston, Texas • 1995present Owner, Faux Foods© • Resides in Houston, Texas

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Selected Prizes, Awards • Houston Annual: Purchase Prize 1954, 1955; Cash Prize 1953, 1960; Materials Prize 1957; Honorable Mention 1958 • • • • • •

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1953 Cash Prize, Portrait, oil 1954 Purchase Prize/Allied Art, Red Tights, oil 1955 (December) Purchase Prize, Londschaft, Stuttgart, oil 1957 Materials Prize, Illogical Organism, oil 1958 Honorable Mention, Whiteout, oil 1960 Cash Prize, Three, oil

Texas General/Annual: Purchase Prize 1961 1961 Purchase Prize/SA Art League, Katy Road, oil

Selected Exhibitions • 1948 10th Texas General Exhibition 1948–1949, circulated: Witte Museum,

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San Antonio; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas 1949–51 24th–26th Annual Exhibition of Works by Houston Artists, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas 1951 Houston Post Easter Art Contest, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas 1952 27th Annual Exhibition of Works by Houston Artists, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas 1952–65 16 Texas Painters, Valley House Gallery, Dallas, Texas 1953 28th Annual Exhibition of Works by Houston Artists, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (cash prize) 1953 15th Annual Exhibition of Texas Painting and Sculpture 1953, circulated: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Witte Museum, San Antonio, Texas 1954 Texas Watercolor Society 5th Annual Exhibition, Witte Museum, San Antonio, Texas; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas 1954 29th Annual Exhibition of Works by Houston Artists, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (purchase prize) 1954 16th Annual Exhibition of Texas Painting and Sculpture 1954, circulated: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Witte Museum, San Antonio; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Fort Worth Art Center, Fort Worth, Texas 1955 (March) 30th Annual Exhibition of Works by Houston Artists, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas 1955 (December) 31st Annual Exhibition of Houston Artists, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (purchase prize) 1955 Solo, Herbert Institute, Augusta, Georgia • 1955–56 D. D. Feldman Collection of Contemporary Texas Art: An Exhibit of 100 Paintings, traveled; 1956 Feb at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (Little Oaks) catalogue • 1956–57 D. D. Feldman Collection of Contemporary Texas Art: 1956 Invitational Exhibition, traveled; 1956 Dec–1957 Jan at McNay Art Institute, San Antonio, Texas (Hauptmarket-Nurnberg) checklist • 1958 D. D. Feldman Competitive Award Exhibit: The Contemporary Work of 88 Texas Artists, traveled; 1958 Jul–Aug at McNay Museum, San Antonio, Texas (Budding Stump) checklist 1956 18th Annual Texas Painting and Sculpture Exhibition 1956–1957, circulated: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Witte Museum, San Antonio; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Texas Fine Arts Association, Austin; Museum, Texas Tech, Lubbock, Texas 1957 Survey of Painting in Texas, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas, circulated by American Federation of Arts (catalogue) 1957 32nd Annual Houston Artists Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (materials prize) 1958 Texas Oil ’58, A Salute to the Oil Industry of the State by Texas

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Painters, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, traveled to: Bank of the Southwest, Houston; Dallas Public Library, Dallas; Republic National Bank of Dallas, Texas (catalogue) 1958 33rd Annual Houston Artists Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (honorable mention) 1958 20th Annual Texas Painting and Sculpture Exhibition 1958–1959, circulated: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Witte Museum, San Antonio; TFAA, Laguna Gloria Gallery, Austin; Beaumont Art Museum, Beaumont; San Angelo Art Club, San Angelo; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas 1959 Made in Texas by Texans, Dallas Museum of Contemporary Art, Sheraton-Dallas Hotel, Dallas, Texas (catalogue) 1959 34th Annual Houston Artists Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas 1960 22nd Annual Texas Painting and Sculpture Exhibition 1960−1961, circulated: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Witte Museum, San Antonio; Beaumont Art Museum, Beaumont; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas 1960 35th Annual Houston Artists Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (cash prize) 1961 23rd Annual Texas Painting and Sculpture Exhibition 1961–1962, circulated: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Witte Museum, San Antonio; Beaumont Art Museum, Beaumont; Museum, Texas Tech, Lubbock, Texas (purchase prize) 1962 24th Annual Texas Painting and Sculpture Exhibition 1962–1963, circulated: Witte Museum, San Antonio; Centennial Art Museum, Corpus Christi; Beaumont Art Museum, Beaumont; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas 1962–63 Museum School Faculty Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas 1963 25th Annual Texas Painting and Sculpture Exhibition 1963–1964, circulated: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Centennial Art Museum, Corpus Christi; Beaumont Art Museum, Beaumont; El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso; Witte Museum, San Antonio; University of Texas at Austin, Texas 1965 Longview Invitational, Longview Museum of Fine Arts, Longview, Texas 1965 Solo, Houston Baptist College, Houston, Texas 1965 Painters and Partners, Jewish Community Center, Houston, Texas 1966 Opening exhibition of DuBose Gallery, Houston, Texas 1968 10th Annual Invitational Exhibit, Nicholson Memorial Library, Junior Service League of Longview, Texas 1971–72 Texas Painting and Sculpture: The 20th Century, Pollack Galleries, Owen Arts Center, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, traveled to: Witte Confluence Museum, HemisFair Plaza, San Antonio; University Art Museum, University of Texas at Austin; Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth; The Museum, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas (catalogue) 1984 Solo, Imagination Gallery, Kerrville, Texas

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1998 Early American Life Magazine Top 200 American Craftsmen 1999 Early American Homes Magazine Top 200 American Craftsmen 2004 A Selection of Art Made in Houston 1950−1965, Brazos Projects, Brazos Bookstore, Houston, Texas 2004–05 Rice Institute and the Visual Arts in Houston: 1900–1960, Fondren Library, Rice University, Houston, Texas 2006 Houston Art in Houston Collections: Works from 1900 to 1965, Heritage Society Museum, Houston, Texas 2007 Texas Modern: The Rediscovery of Early Texas Abstraction (1935−1965), Martin Museum of Art, Baylor University, Waco, Texas (catalogue) 2007–08 Urban Texas: Changing Images of an Evolving State, PanhandlePlains Historical Museum, Canyon, Texas 2008 Founders of Houston Art: Thirty Artists Who Led the Way, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2009 Back to the Future: Elements of “Modern” in Mid-Century Texas Art, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2009 Leila McConnell and Henri Gadbois: Side by Side, O’Kane Gallery, University of Houston/Downtown, Houston, Texas 2010 The Presence of Light: Sky and Light in the Texas Landscape, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2010 Third Anniversary Show: A Tribute to Houston Artists, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2011 Lone Star Modernism: A Celebration of Mid-Century Texas Art, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2011 Southeast Texas Art: Cross-Currents and Influences, 1925–1965, Art Museum of Southeast Texas, Beaumont, Texas 2011 Portrait of Houston: 1900–2011, Alliance Gallery, Houston Arts Alliance, Houston, Texas (catalogue) 2012 A Survey of Texas Modernists, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2012 Interpretations of the Texas Hill Country by Henri Gadbois, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2013 Restless Heart: The Collectors’ Quest to Find Texas in Art, San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, Texas 2013 A Tribute to Texas Rivers, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2013 Rhythms of Modernism, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2013 Summer Encore Exhibition, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2013 Hill Country Love Affair: Interpretations of a Texas Heartland, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2014 Houston Founders at City Hall Art Exhibition, City Hall, Houston, Texas 2014 A New Visual Vocabulary: Developments in Texas Modernism 1935−1965, One Allen Center, Lobby Gallery, Houston, Texas 2014 Lone Star Masters of Modernism, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas

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2015 Bayou City Chic: Progressive Streams of Modern Art in Houston, Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, Texas (catalogue) 2015 The Texas Aesthetic, Annual Exhibition, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2015 Midcentury Montage: Works by Three Houston Modernists, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2015 Texas Modernists: The Abstract Impulse, Grace Museum, Abilene, Texas (catalogue) 2016 This WAS Contemporary Art: Fine and Decorative Arts in Houston 1945−1965, Heritage Society Museum, Houston, Texas (catalogue)

Selected Public Collections • University of Texas at Austin, Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, Texas • Longview Museum of Fine Arts, Longview, Texas • Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas • Old Jail Art Center, Albany, Texas • San Antonio Fine Arts Association, San Antonio, Texas • Texas Heart Institute, Houston, Texas (1970 A Pleasant Place) Selected Sources Artist Edwards, Katie Robinson. Midcentury Modern Art in Texas. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2014.

Reynolds, Sarah C. Houston Reflections: Art in the City, 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Houston: Rice University Press, 2008. http://cnx.org/content/col10526/latest.

Dallas Museum of Art. Portal to Texas History: http://texashistory.unt.edu/explore/ partners/DMA/browse.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Exhibition history online: http://prv.mfah.org/ archives/search.asp?par1=1&par2=1&par3=1&par4=1&par5=1&par6=1 &par7.

LEILA MCCONNELL (b. 1927) Leila McConnell was born in Los Angeles, California. Her family moved to Houston when she was six and, after graduating from high school, she enrolled at Rice Institute (now Rice University). At the time, Rice had no department of architecture but McConnell sought inspiration from iconic professor, James Chillman. According to McConnell, Chillman had the greatest influence on her sense of design, proportion, and the ability to actually see her art. Studying freehand drawing, design, watercolor, art, and architectural history under Chillman, McConnell excelled. After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree from Rice, she continued her art studies at the Museum School (now Glassell School) at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

McConnell had impeccable academic training and her early paintings, both oil and pastel, were very realistic. The majority of her subject matter was either still life, figure studies, or portraits. In the summer of 1949, she attended the San Francisco School of Fine Arts and was fortunate to study under Mark Rothko. His vision and innovative instruction marked McConnell’s shift away from the realism that had previously dominated her works. After her classes with Rothko, she began to paint more abstract pieces, creating an imaginary girl in watercolor.

Realizing that she had a vivid imagination, McConnell embarked on a trip to Europe in 1960. The stucco buildings of Italy greatly impacted her vision and caused a change in her paintings. Her colors became soft and blended, often misty and portraying a sun or moon, causing the artist to deem many of her works “sky paintings.”

In 1976, McConnell began creating paper collages, a diversion from her painted works. Though small, her collages impacted the way McConnell created her paintings—her edges became harder, mixed with the mistiness of her skies and her compositions became more symmetrical. McConnell continues to paint in her unique style and develop her oeuvre of “sky” pieces.

Selected Biographical and Career Highlights • 1927 Born in Los Angeles, California • 1948 BA, Rice University, Houston, Texas • 1949 BS, Architecture, Rice University, Houston, Texas • 1949 San Francisco School of Fine Arts, San Francisco, California • 1950–68 Instructor, Museum School, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas • 1954–59 Worked for Houston architect, Hamilton Brown • 1956 Married artist, Henri Gadbois • 1960 Visited Italy • Resides in Houston, Texas Selected Prizes, Awards • Houston Annual: Materials Prize 1954 •

1954 Materials Prize, Stella, oil

Selected Exhibitions • 1949–51 24th–26th Annual Exhibition of Work by Houston Artists, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas • 1951 13th Annual Exhibition of Texas Painting and Sculpture 1951–1952, circulated: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Witte Museum, San Antonio, Texas • 1952–55 27th–30th Annual Exhibition of Works by Houston Artists, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas (prize 1954) • 1955 31st Annual Exhibition of Houston Artists, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas • 1957–60 32nd–35th Annual Houston Artists Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas • 1958 Texas Oil ’58, A Salute to the Oil Industry of the State by Texas Painters, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, traveled to: Bank of the Southwest, Houston; Dallas Public Library, Dallas; Republic National Bank of Dallas, Texas (catalogue) • 1958 D. D. Feldman Competitive Award Exhibit: The Contemporary Work of 88 Texas Artists, traveled; 1958 Jul–Aug at McNay Museum, San Antonio, Texas (Orange Sun) checklist • DuBose Gallery, Houston, Texas • Leslie Muth Gallery, Houston, Texas • 1959 21st Annual Texas Painting and Sculpture Exhibition 1959– 1960, circulated: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Witte Museum, San Antonio; Beaumont Art Museum, Beaumont; Museum, Texas Tech, Lubbock; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas • 1961 23rd Annual Texas Painting and Sculpture Exhibition 1961– 1962, circulated: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Witte Museum, San Antonio; Beaumont Art Museum, Beaumont; Museum, Texas Tech, Lubbock, Texas • 1962–63 Museum School Faculty Exhibition, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas • 1964 26th Annual Texas Painting and Sculpture Exhibition 1964– 1965, circulated: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas; Beaumont Art Museum, Beaumont; Witte Museum, San Antonio; Texas Western College, El Paso; University of Texas at Austin, Texas • 1986 Leila McConnell: Collage to Canvas—New Works of Paper & Paintings, Plain Folk Gallery, Houston, Texas • 2004 A Selection of Art Made in Houston 1950−1965, Brazos Projects, Brazos Bookstore, Houston, Texas • 2004–05 Rice Institute and the Visual Arts in Houston: 1900– 1960, Fondren Library, Rice University, Houston, Texas • 2006 Houston Art in Houston Collections: Works from 1900 to 1965, Heritage Society Museum, Houston, Texas • 2006–07 Of This Vast State: Women Artists of Texas , 1900–1960, Women’s Museum, Dallas, Texas

2007 Timeless: A Retrospective of Selected Women Artists of Texas, 1940 to Present, David Dike Fine Art, Dallas, Texas; William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas; Wichita Falls Museum of Art at Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, Texas • 2007–08 Urban Texas: Changing Images of an Evolving State, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, Canyon, Texas • 2008 Founders of Houston Art: Thirty Artists Who Led the Way, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas • 2009 Back to the Future: Elements of “Modern” in Mid-Century Texas Art, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas • 2009 Leila McConnell and Henri Gadbois: Side by Side, O’Kane Gallery, University of Houston/Downtown, Houston, Texas • 2010 Third Anniversary Show: A Tribute to Houston Artists, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas • 2010 Pioneering Women: Three Modernists in Houston—Dorothy Hood, Leila McConnell, Stella Sullivan, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas • 2010 The Presence of Light: Sky and Light in the Texas Landscape, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas • 2010 Texas Collages: A Tribute to Kurt Schwitters, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas • 2011 Southeast Texas Art: Cross-Currents and Influences, 1925– 1965, Art Museum of Southeast Texas, Beaumont, Texas • 2011 Lone Star Modernism: A Celebration of Mid-Century Texas Art, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas • 2011 Portrait of Houston: 1900–2011, Alliance Gallery, Houston Arts Alliance, Houston, Texas (catalogue) • 2011 Breakthrough: Sixty Years of Texas Abstraction, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas • 2012 A Survey of Texas Modernists, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas • 2013 A Tribute to Texas Rivers, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas • 2013 Rhythms of Modernism, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas • 2013 Summer Encore Exhibition, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas • 2014 Houston Founders at City Hall Art Exhibition, City Hall, Houston, Texas • 2014 A New Visual Vocabulary: Developments in Texas Modernism 1935−1965, One Allen Center, Lobby Gallery, Houston, Texas • 2014 Macrocosm/Microcosm: Abstract Expressionism and the American Southwest, Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma (catalogue) 2015 Bayou City Chic: Progressive Streams of Modern Art in Houston, Art •

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Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi, Texas (catalogue) 2015 Midcentury Montage: Works by Three Houston Modernists, William Reaves Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2016 Texas Originals: Six Bayou City Expressionists, William Reaves/Sarah Foltz Fine Art, Houston, Texas 2016 This WAS Contemporary Art: Fine and Decorative Arts in Houston 1945−1965, Heritage Society Museum, Houston, Texas (catalogue)

Selected Public Collections • Menil Collection, Houston, Texas • Old Jail House Art Center, Albany, Texas Selected Sources Artist Edwards, Katie Robinson. Midcentury Modern Art in Texas. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2014.

Reynolds, Sarah C. Houston Reflections: Art in the City, 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Houston: Rice University Press, 2008. http://cnx.org/content/col10526/latest.

Dallas Museum of Art. Portal to Texas History: http://texashistory.unt.edu/explore/ partners/DMA/browse.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Exhibition history online: http://prv.mfah.org/ archives/search.asp?par1=1&par2=1&par3=1&par4=1&par5=1&par6=1 &par7.

About William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art

H OUSTON’S T EXAS- C ENTERED G ALLERY William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art, originally established in 2006 in Houston, Texas, is dedicated to the promotion of

premier Texas artists of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, focusing particularly on historically significant artists active in the state during the period of 1900‒1975.

The gallery showcases many of the state’s most accomplished and recognized talents, all of whom have significant

connections to Texas and have evidenced the highest standards of quality in their work, training, and professionalism. In addition to its general focus on Early Texas Art, the gallery places special emphasis on the rediscovery and presentation

of midcentury works by Houston and South Texas artists. William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art is the foremost provider of

Texas Modern Art, which includes midcentury masters and pioneering expressionists working in the state. The gallery also

represents a dynamic group of contemporary artists, known as the Contemporary Texas Regionalists, actively showing their works in annual gallery exhibitions as well as traveling exhibitions throughout the state.

William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art is a comprehensive gallery offering fine art appraisals, consultation, collections

management, brokerage, and sales services. The gallery exhibits artists working in a variety of media including painting, sculpture, works on paper, and photography. In order to promote interest and broaden knowledge of earlier Texas art,

William Reaves | Sarah Foltz Fine Art supports related gallery talks, community events, scholarly research, and publications.

Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm and other times by appointment.

Gallery Contacts:

William Reaves, President william@reavesart.com

Sarah Foltz, Executive Director sarah@reavesart.com

Mariah Rockefeller, Gallery Director mariah@reavesart.com